


A Truly Surprising Birthday

by Averyluxx



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Birthday Fluff, Canon Compliant, Gen, Happy Birthday Ignis, Implied Relationships, One Shot, Short One Shot, Somewhere before chapter 4?, cw: Wine drinking, tipsy ignis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:13:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22598383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Averyluxx/pseuds/Averyluxx
Summary: "It was a long week for Ignis... Ignis was happy to serve his prince in any way he could. However, today didn’t quite go as he hoped at first."~The boys are acting strangely and Ignis is feeling a little offbeat. Written for Ignis's birthday!
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia & Prompto Argentum & Noctis Lucis Caelum & Ignis Scientia, Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia, Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum
Comments: 2
Kudos: 40





	A Truly Surprising Birthday

It was a long week for Ignis. They had just spent days delving down into the tombs, seeking out the royal arms. Ignis needed to help direct Noctis in the right direction, all while trying to keep his boys alive. He was tired. It took all the Ebony in the world to keep him going. He didn’t mind it though. Ignis was happy to serve his prince in any way he could. However, today didn’t quite go as he hoped at first. 

They came back to Lestallum and planned on resting for a few days. Noctis took on some bounties, and local merchants offered work. Before they set off to fulfill these obligations however, Ignis was hoping they could have spent the day together. He might not admit it openly but he adored the banter, playing Kings Knight, and even cleaning up after them sometimes. It gave him a sense of peace. Seeing the boys happy made him feel successful. 

Gladio was the first to excuse himself for the day. Said he needed to go out and “mingle” with the locals. Ignis assumed this meant flirting with the women that worked in Lestallum, in the hopes of obtaining one's number. Without explaining further he left. _Before_ breakfast, Ignis noted. 

After that was Noctis and Prompto. They were both the last two to wake up, per usual. After a groggy Noctis finished his breakfast and rubbed his eyes red, they were both quick to get dressed for the day. 

“Yeah! Uh...Noctis and I have some...stuff we need to do today!” Prompto said in his upbeat tone, though there was something underneath that betrayed him. 

“Yeah...stuff.” Noctis loosely agreed as he scratched the back of his head. Before Ignis had a chance to ask if they wanted him to come along they hurricane-ed out of the hotel room. 

So now Ignis was left to his own devices. He sat in his thoughts for a moment trying to work out what to do. He felt a little letdown. Normally he and Gladiolus would go out together, but his priorities were apparently set elsewhere. Ignis wouldn’t admit to himself that he felt a little jealous. He perused his notebook full of recipes, trying to take his mind off of the situation. He settled on a pastry dish and decided to head down to the market. 

When he arrived the stalls were packed. It was quite a busy day in Lestallum. He picked up the ingredients he needed. When he turned around he saw Prompto and Noctis behind him, hunched over a table and jittering between themselves. He thought of saying something until he overheard Prompto. 

“...yeah well it’s a good thing we were able to finally get away from Ignis for once.” 

“Yeah, this would be impossible otherwise. Take advantage of the situation while we can.” Noctis replied. Ignis felt a pang in his chest. So that’s what was going on? They needed to “get away” from him? His lip twitched in frustration. Turning on his heel he went back to the hotel. 

Ignis knew he was the “mother of the group”. How could he help it when he practically took the role due to Noctis losing his mother at such a young age? At the end of the day, he was a young man in his twenties too and didn’t always feel like he could act like it. 

He tried to keep his thoughts calm and rational. Never one to overreact. At least, not outwardly. He tossed the bags on the kitchenette counter, and briefly reconsidered his afternoon plans. Perhaps he would borrow a book of Gladio’s, there were plenty in the trunk of the Regalia. 

_Sigh._ As he unbagged the ingredients, Gladio came through the door. 

“Iggy!” Gladio burst out before he paused and saw the look on his face, “What’s wrong?” He looked around and saw the grocery bags tossed haphazardly on the counter. “You doing okay?” he looked concerned, and Ignis considered telling him what he overheard from the other two just an hour ago. He shrugged. 

“Oh, it’s nothing I suppose. Feeling a bit dejected I guess.” was all he offered. Perhaps he was overthinking things. 

“Well, how about this? There’s a new fancy bistro that just opened up, and I got us two reservations for an early dinner. It seemed like a good way for you to spend the day!” He said with a grin. Ignis was taken back by this, it seemed sudden. 

“What about Prompto and Noctis?” He asked, with some internal hesitation. 

“They’re off having their own little date right now.” Ignis felt his breath catch in his throat at Gladio’s word choice and what that implied. He adjusted his glasses to try and maintain composure. After changing into nicer clothes they left the hotel. Gladio led him to a very nice looking Bistro on the eastern side of Lestallum. It was away from all the hustle and bustle of the market square. The inside was nicer than Ignis expected. Dim lighting set a romantic mood, and small, ornate mini chandeliers hung over each table. They were escorted to a booth and brought a fine bottle of white wine. After they settled and Ignis tentatively sipped on his wine, he finally looked up to Gladiolus. 

“Do you think I’m too... _maternal_?” He finally asked. Gladio looked at him surprised. 

“What do you mean?” Gladio eyed Ignis over his glass. 

“Oh, come now. We’ve all made jokes about how I’m everyone’s mother. Which is all well and good but…” he paused for a minute, and took another sip, “do I overdo it?” He looked to Gladio for an answer. Gladio swished his wine glass in contemplation. 

“I don’t think so. I think they both need it. Even I need a wake-up call every now and then to be better. Neither of them really had a mother figure in their lives. Hell, Prompto didn’t really have either, you’re the most parental figure he’s ever had.” Gladio smiled, but Ignis sighed into his wine. He adjusted his glasses. 

“Perhaps…” he paused on this thought for a moment, but the look in Gladio’s eyes encouraged him, “perhaps I don’t _always_ want to be the parent though.” he took another sip, emptying his glass. “I strive to achieve what’s expected of me as his steward, but I don’t want it to come at the expense of losing him as a close friend.” He finished his thought, and the waiter came by with their food. 

It was a fine cut Garula steak of the highest quality, served with browned potatoes and a healthy heaping of steamed vegetables. Ignis felt his eyes grow wide as the aromas filled his senses. The waiter refilled his wine glass before excusing himself. They were quiet for a while as they enjoyed their meal. Ignis finished his in no time. Usually, he would savor his meals, especially one as high quality as this. However, it was almost _too_ good and was left with a clean plate, and an empty glass of wine. As the waiter came by to take their plates, Gladio checked his watch. He eyed Ignis for a second and checked his watch again. 

“How about another glass? We still have an hour left on our reservation, and a bistro this nice should be enjoyed.” Gladio encouraged him with a fresh glass of wine that he poured before receiving an answer. It certainly was helping distract Ignis from what he overheard earlier. Despite feeling a rising flush in his cheeks, he accepted the drink and took another sip. As the alcohol began to wrap around his brain he felt bold enough to finally ask him. 

“So, how did your... _mingling_ go earlier?” He asked. He tried to be conscious of the tone in his voice, but the fuzz from the wine made that difficult. 

“Well, we’re here, aren't we?” Gladio said with a smile. “I thought you would have had that worked out by now! Normally you need to plan reservations here a couple weeks in advance. I told them about our situation, and they were able to squeeze us in.” Ignis looked up from his wine glass in shock. 

“And here I thought you were out flirting with the locals.” Ignis confessed. He took another sip of wine. “You didn’t have to be so cryptic about it then.” He hiccuped softly. Gladio chuckled. They had finished their last glasses of wine, and their reservation was nearing its end. Before they left, Gladio had one last thought. 

“Ignis,” he looked up, his cheeks now quite pink under his glasses, “I don’t think you should worry about the boys too much. I think you’re doing a great job. Maternal or not, you’re exactly what those boys need. Don’t be afraid to loosen up around them sometimes, too. Maybe that will help ya.” Ignis smiled at his words of encouragement. His head spun a little from the wine, but he wasn’t so drunk that Gladio’s words wouldn’t hit home. 

Feeling freshly confident, they stood to go back to the hotel. As they walked out of the Bistro, Ignis felt his feet trip over themselves. His head bobbed as he laughed and tried to maintain his balance. Gladio offered him his arm, and Ignis took it to keep himself steady. Together they walked back to the Leville, and Ignis stumbled up the stairs. 

They went inside the room and were met with...a bit of a mess. 

“Ah, dude!” Prompto cried, “We’re not ready yet!” There was flour all over the counter, and Prompto and Noctis both looked like they were ambushed inside a bakery. Ignis looked at the sight before him, the wine making it hard for him to really process what was happening. 

“It’s fine, I got it.” Said Noctis, who had his back turned towards them, hunched over the counter. Ignis walked over to a small table and drunkenly flung himself into the chair. 

“Is...Ignis okay?” Prompto asked, noticing his glazed over eyes and loose smile. Even his glasses hung a little askew on his face. It wasn’t until he posed this question that Ignis sat up a little straighter and fixed his glasses. He cleared his throat. 

“Oh come now, I only had a few glasses of wine, nothing to warrant concern.” He said as he waved his hand around dismissively with a smile. 

“Aaaaaaand...done!” Noctis exclaimed from the counter. He turned around with a cake in hand, covered in blue frosting, and the words _Happy B-Day Iggy_ written in crooked, but well-meaning letters. 

_My birthday?_ Perhaps the wine made his brain fuzzy and now he was imagining things. He wouldn’t forget his own birthday, would he? As if reading his thoughts, Prompto hopped over with a small gift bag in hand and placed it on the table in front of him. 

“You didn’t forget about your own birthday, did ya?” Prompto asked. Ignis looked up at his friend and smiled. The wine fuzz was slowly starting to dissipate, but not before he felt his eyes water up a little under his glasses as he began to realize all the little signs from earlier. 

“Yeah, Iggy,” Gladio spoke from the other side of the table, “I didn’t just take you out to dinner cause you’re a hot date!” He teased with a wink. Ignis felt his face flush again, but at least time it was hidden under the flush of alcohol. 

“Come on, Specs,” Noctis said, standing behind him. He laid a hand on his shoulder. “You do so much for us, you don’t think we’d forget your birthday. We just needed to get you out of the hotel for a while so we could do the baking for once.” Ignis turned his head back to look at Noctis. He felt his eyes water up again and quickly wiped them away before his glasses could fog over. 

“And we did a sub-par job!” Prompto proudly claimed. He looked at Gladio, who gave him a knowing look. 

“What’d I tell ya?” He said as he crossed his arms in satisfaction. 

“Oh, now I’m just embarrassed!” Ignis said with a smile. He was so caught up in their mission and taking care of these boys, his King after all, that he did forget his own birthday. After he regained his stoic composure, they encouraged him to open his present. Inside he found two items. One was a new recipe book with empty pages for him to write his creations in. The cover boasted a beautiful gold trim and a gorgeous painting of various ingredients and cooking utensils. The other item was a new case for his glasses. It was made from a very fine, leather-like material, and in silver embroidery it spelled his name in an elegant cursive font. 

Ignis sat for a moment, and he couldn’t tell if it was the wine making him feel this sentimental or if he was regretting how badly he felt over his feelings from earlier. He took a deep breath and smiled. 

“Well, this was quite a surprise birthday after all!” And it truly was one of the best he’s had. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday, Ignis! I hoped you all liked this one-shot, I need to work on more short-form stories and this gave me an excuse to practice! Let me know what you think. 
> 
> Also, feel free to follow my twitter @ averyluxx I mostly screech about XV and Kingdom Hearts, but I'm pretty multi-fandom overall.


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